The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has completed the feasibility study and technical design for the P10-billion Light Rail Transit line 2 (LRT-2) West Extension project.
Hernando Cabrera, LRTA administrator, said at the Laging Handa public briefing yesterday the LRTA is ready to start the bidding for contractors so the construction may begin once the government gives the additional budget for the project.
He said out of the P10-billion project cost, LRTA only has a P1.7-billion budget. Thus, it needs over P8 billion more to start the bidding process, hopefully this year.
The LRT-2 West Extension project alignment will start from the existing Recto Station tail track which passes through Recto Avenue/Circumferential Road 1 and will terminate at Pier 4 along Radial Road 10.
It involves the construction of 3.7 kilometers of west extension with three proposed additional stations: Tutuban, Divisoria and Pier 4. Once the project is completed, LRT-2 is projected to add 16,000 more passengers daily.
This will further expand the 13.52-km LRT-2 that runs from Recto in Manila to Santolan in Pasig City, that was completed in 2004.
In July last year, the LRT-2 East Extension project started operating with two additional stations, Marikina-Pasig and Antipolo.
LRTA is also expected to complete the pre-feasibility study for the LRT-2 East Extension project by next month. Once the pre-feasibility study is completed, the cost and alignment of the project will be determined, said Cabrera
Last September, the Department of Transportation, LRTA, D.M. Consunji, Sectoral Experts & Consultants, and the local government units held a meeting for the planned LRT-2 East Extension project, which aims to extend the Antipolo Station in Masinag until Cogeo in Barangay Bagong Nayon near City Mall of Antipolo that will transverse the Marikina-Rizal-Laguna-Quezon or Marilaque Highway with the construction of three additional stations.
